


Getting Back to Good

by junko



Series: Scatter and Howl [36]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 11:49:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4959535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji and Byakuya continue to talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Getting Back to Good

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: could remain very trigger-y for some.

Renji waited until Byakuya had had at least three cups of tea before he dropped the bomb, conversationally-speaking. “So… when you said you killed your attacker, did you mean all the bodies they found in your cell or someone else?”

Byakuya winced a little, but his voice was steady when he said, “Technically, the corpses in my cell were assassins, which I can only presume were unrelated to the dead man I left in the showers, if only from the difference in their intent. One set to try to take my life, the other just to… take.”

Renji cautiously slid a hand across the table to touch Byakuya’s fingertips. Byakuya didn’t flinch away, but instead wrapped his hand around Renji’s, holding tight. Byakuya’s reiatsu surged and wobbled a little, setting the china rattling. 

“Whoa,” Renji soothed. “Breathe slowly, huh?”

“I hate this place,” Byakuya whispered through clenched teeth, his head bowed.

Renji couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah, this is messed up,” Renji said, trying not give away the fact that Byakuya’s hand was crushing his fingers. Instead, he added, “What we done ain’t worth this. Don’t feel like much of a crime: love.”

“No, it really isn’t,” Byakuya agreed, lifting his head to look Renji in the eye. “I’ve changed my mind. I would like you to make it possible for me to say here, in this cell, for the remainder of my sentence.”

“Yeah, I’ll make that happen,” Renji said. Byakuya would hate it, but, if Renji couldn’t come up with a better solution, the Division could foot the bill. A loan, if nothing else.

Byakuya released Renji’s fingers to pour himself another cup of tea. “I need better provisions as well.”

“It’s on my list,” Renji said. “If Soi Fon won’t agree to it, I’ll bring you food myself. That’s how they used to do it in the Rukongai. I mean, I was only there a week, but I saw lots of families bringing bento. Of course, they just bribed a guard or two and passed the food through the bars, but I figure it must work the same here on some level.”

“Yes, it seems quite obvious that the guards are not above bribery,” Byakuya said dryly. At Renji’s curious glance, he explained, “The dead men in my cell wore the uniform of prison guards.”

Oh. No one had mentioned that. Which was weird in itself. “Curious,” Renji said. “I mean, I’d think Soi Fon would be a lot less accommodating?... if she was aware you’d taken out her subordinates.”

“Indeed,” Byakuya said around a sip. “Either she’s not aware or they weren’t her guards.”

It didn’t seem very like Soi Fon not to have all the facts. “So, prisoners in guard uniforms?”

Byakuya nodded. “I have a hard time, in retrospect, imagining a soldier obeying an order to kill an unarmed prisoner.”

“Uh,” Renji let out a dark chuckle, “Well, I just did. That’s kind of what you got to do in a prison break.”

“Yes, but without provocation?”

Renji glanced away. “Ambition is a funny thing, Taicho. A soldier’s worth is often measured in their ability to follow any order without hesitation.”

Sipping tea, Byakuya considered this for a moment. “I hate to consider that I took the lives of good soldiers.”

“I wouldn’t think too hard about it. It ain’t for sure they were soldiers, but if they were they knew the risks,” Renji shrugged. Then he cracked a mischievous smile, “But, whatever they were, I bet they didn’t expect Senbonzakura.”

“Nor did I.” Byakuya’s hand fell to his side, where Senbonzakura lay beside him. His fingers touched the scabbard lightly, as if double-checking that it was, in fact, still there--real. “Renji, how is it possible?”

“You’re asking me?”

Glancing down at the zanpakutō, Byakuya frowned lightly. 

He seemed troubled again, his reiatsu thrumming, so Renji offered, “They’re your soul, right? Wherever you are, they’re there, too, is what I figure.”

As if in acknowledgement of that very thing, Renji could feel the deep rumble of Zabimaru’s agreement rolling through his gut, even though he’d left his zanpakutō with Ōmaeda at the front gate. 

Byakuya returned his gaze to Renji. There was a slight smile playing on his thin lips. “It’s more like you and yours to be so roguish and undisciplined. Not my Senbonzakura.”

Renji raised his eyebrows. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Byakuya say ‘my’ when referring to his zanpakutō. That did sound more like something Renji would say. “‘Willful’ is the word you want,” Renji reminded him. “Maybe you just have more of that in you than you’d like to admit.”

Byakuya ducked his head, clearly hiding a smile. “Indeed.”

After that Byakuya seemed a lot more at ease. They finished the last drops of the tea, and Renji set the tray outside the door. Not having anything more to report or even really talk about, Renji came back and sat beside Byakuya and asked, “Wanna make out?”

Byakuya made a noise between a grunt and a baffled laugh. “Just like that. You think it’s so easy?”

“Babe, kissing you is the easiest thing in the world.”

Byakuya’s usually stony face went through miniscule, almost undetectable contortions. Finally, he seemed to give up with a sigh. He put a hand on Renji’s thigh and said, “Incorrigible. We must add that to ‘willful.’”

“Works for me,” Renji smiled and kissed the top of Byakuya’s head. He knocked his shoulder into Byakuya’s lightly, a nudge. “So, does that mean you wanna?”

Byakuya sighed one of his long-suffering sighs that Renji was pretty sure meant yes. But, today of all days, he waited for an answer, smiling encouragingly. Even though he rolled his eyes slightly, Byakuya finally said, “Yes, very well. Yes.”

“Yay,” Renji said, leaning down to nibble at Byakuya’s lips--playfully, tentatively. He slid one hand behind Byakuya, but not to embrace him. He used it to support them both, allowing him to lean down comfortably and for Byakuya to rest his back against, if he wanted. The other hand, he kept firmly on the floor. He couldn’t know what Byakuya’s assailant might have done, but Renji figured silly, undemanding kissing was a good bet for ‘least likely.’

After some initial stiffness, Byakuya relaxed into it, particularly once he seemed to realize that Renji wasn’t even trying to get him to open his mouth. Instead, Renji just sucked at lip, nibbled a bit with teeth, but nothing more passionate than that. But, he still tried to imbue each little gesture with caring, attraction,... love.

However much he tried to keep things light, just the taste of Byakuya after all this time was intoxicating, especially now that there was the familiar flavor of tea on his mouth. So, after a few minutes, Renji pulled away. He figured it was a good way to give himself a break to cool down and to check in. “You okay, lover?”

Byakuya’s eyes were closed, his eyelashes trembling. 

Then, Renji noticed that Byakuya’s breath was shallow… sobbing. 

Oh.

No longer able to resist the desire to hug him, Renji curled an arm around Byakuya’s waist, drawing him. With a gasp of air, Byakuya clutched at Renji’s chest and buried his face deep into Renji’s shoulder. 

Renji felt terrible. Damn it all. Despite all his carefulness, he’d pushed too hard, too fast.

Through his silent tears, the hotness of which Renji could feel soaking his uniform, Byakuya murmured, “I don’t deserve you.”

Deserve him? Renji thought he was the one overstepping, but… well, Byakuya was apparently feeling all the vulnerable things all at once. So, Renji carefully stroked Byakuya’s hair. It was still so strange to see it so short, and it felt different, too, a bit rougher. 

“Of course you do,” Renji said soothingly. “You did the same for me, when Isoroku wrecked me. Nobody ever treated me as gentle as you did then. I only wish I could of brought you a blanket, some soup, like you did for me. I feel so helpless in this place, not knowing what to do.”

“You’ve done everything right, my love,” Byakuya breathed. “It’s just… I…. The things I’ve done to you.”

The alley? The library? The inn? Because that’s what he meant, wasn’t it?

Renji had to stifle the instant urge to growl and say, ‘Sucks, doesn’t it? Not having consent,’ but he managed to shove that impulse down. Yelling at Byakuya wasn’t going to help matters. He’d suffered enough. No point in dredging up old injury.

“We’re not talking about that right now,” Renji said trying to keep the focus on caretaking Byakuya. But his hand fell from Byakuya’s hair and he felt himself unconsciously pulling away a little. “That was different, anyway. You’re not…”

“Not a stranger?” Byakuya glanced up. “Indeed. However, I fail to see how it makes things better that I was someone with whom you had the expectation of trust.” 

Renji’s jaw flexed and he let Byakuya go. He sat back and pinned Byakuya in a hard glare, “Don’t. I get that you’re having some kind of guilt-ridden epiphany here, but just, no. It’s not a good time to air all this dirty laundry. We can talk about that shit, once you’re through this shit. You got to prioritize, Byakuya. This is a battlefield. Don’t start a new fight when you’re already in the middle of one.”

“When would be a good time?” Byakuya asked, pulling himself up and straightening the prison uniform. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. Too much. However, I can’t understand why you put up with me. Why do you have so much kindness for me, when I… don’t deserve it?”

Renji bit back a ‘Some days I don’t fucking know’ because there was something very familiar in the clip of Byakuya’s voice. The next thing, he’d be pushing the ‘dog’ button or whatever else it would take to push Renji away. 

Renji stood up. “Enjoy your pity party. I’m not playing this game, got it? I know that maybe you feel all horrible inside right now, but you don’t fucking have to be horrible on the outside…. Not to me. Like you say, of all people, I get where you’re at right now. You don’t want my snuggles and kisses right now, that’s cool. But you don’t have push me away so hard.”

Byakuya was stiff and hard and perfectly still. “Perhaps I’m just a terrible, ugly person.”

He sounded so much like a wounded child when he said that, Renji’s heart melted a little. It was clear Byakuya was hurting. And that he had no idea what to do with his feelings, especially since Byakuya was that guy who thought emotions were their own kind of weakness. “I ain’t going to argue with you about that,” Renji smiled a little smile to soften his words. “You have your terrible moments, but then again maybe you just feel ugly right now. Sometime your ugliness is all on you, no doubt. But not this time. This ain’t your fault.”

“It was a stupid time to take a shower,” Byakuya murmured. His eyes were downcast, his brow creased.

“No, don’t second guess yourself. You should be able to take a shower anytime you want,” Renji said, sitting back down on the hard floor. “You know this already, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Going to the shower or to the sento or walking down the street stark naked… none of it is an invitation for abuse. Not then, not any time.”

Byakuya glanced up, a wry smile on his face. “Am I getting the abuse victim speech from the lieutenant?”

“Survivor,” Renji corrected, but he smiled back, because: “Though I heard that term in the Human World. We don’t actually have a speech or regulations or much of anything. Frankly, the Gotei is a little short of pamphlets of this nature, though I think Hisagi was working on one at one point. I wonder whatever happened to that?”

“Then how is it that you know exactly what to say?” Byakuya said, sounding a tiny bit genuinely put out. “ You won’t even let me push you away effectively. It’s rather maddening.”

Renji rubbed his neck. “If I sound pat, like I’m just reciting something, I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t at all,” Byakuya said. “It’s just… I kind of want a fight. I want you to blame me for everything I’ve done to you. I want… the rest of this sentence to be a punishment. I disgust myself, a hundred times more now that that wretched man tried to spend himself on me while he was dying.”

Renji couldn’t help but wince at that description. He wanted to hug Byakuya and mutter ‘poor baby’ over him, but Byakuya had already pushed him away once. So, he just smoothed out the thighs of his hakama, because he really didn’t know quite what to do with the rest of it. After moment, Renji let out a sigh.

“I suppose you could,” Renji said. “If that’s what you want, you could think of what remains of your sentence as payment owed me, for the shit you’ve pulled. Personally, I think you’ve suffered enough, but it’s not like I have the ability to shorten your sentence, anyway. So, knock yourself out. Do some deep soul searching. I guess that’s what prison is for? But I don’t want you to come out of all this all closed off and have everything between us be ten times more fucked-up than before.”

“Perhaps we don’t have much choice,” Byakuya said.

“Well, then the bastards win, don’t they?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean the people who don’t want us together,” Renji said. Then with a jerk of his chin at Byakuya, added, “And, your attacker.”

Byakuya’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “How do you figure that?”

“Well, he was trying to do you harm, right?” Renji said. “Well, I happen to think your life would be miserable without me in it.”

For several minutes, Byakuya’s face remained unmoving. He barely blinked. Then, quite suddenly he said, “Wrong again, Renji. I would be dead. And, at anyrate, my life without you would be wretched.”

“Semantics.” Renji crossed his arms in front of his chest, though he was smiling. 

“A big word for someone who doesn’t know the difference between miserable and wretched,” Byakuya snapped, though it was clear that he, too, was teasing. “Where did a barbarian like you learn such language?”

“Academy,” Renji grinned. “In them elite classes they put me in.”

“I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to educate you,” Byakuya said.

Renji laughed, “You know, it’s always kind of been a mystery to me too.”

Having, apparently, had a ‘fight,’ even if it was over something trivial, seemed to satisfy Byakuya somewhat. They relocated so that they could sit with their backs against the wall. Renji noticed a slat in the ceiling that let in light that seemed fairly natural. But if it was sunlight, it must have been reflected down several meters of rock somehow. Maybe mirrors? Maybe magic?

Byakuya sat with his legs stretched out in front of him--a very lazy pose for him, sloppy even, though his back stayed ramrod straight and his hands rested primly on his thighs. “I don’t think I’ll miss the bottom bunk,” Byakuya said, apropos of nothing. “Though Ten’s artwork was nice enough.”

“Your cellmate?” Renji asked cautiously--after all, anyone could turn out to be one of the attackers.

“Yes, Ten,” Byakuya said. “He’s a weasel.”

“Well, yeah, I bet. It’s not like prison is full of a lot of nice guys.”

“No,” Byakuya corrected with a slight smile, “I mean, he is a truly a weasel. Ten is a yokai of some sort--a shape-shifter.”

“Huh,” Renji said, considering. “Is that common? I mean, is it some kind of crime to be a demon like that? You got oni in here, too? Tengu?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course not,” Byakuya said. 

“Well, I do wonder why we don’t see that many of all that sort,” Renji said. “I mean, besides Captain Komamura and Lady Yoruichi… and probably Ichimaru, but, like, where are the rest of them? You’d think they’d be thick on the ground like thieves.”

“Aren’t Hollows enough monster for you?” Byakuya asked, glancing sidelong at him. “Do we really need oni wandering around?”

“You mean besides Captain Komamura.”

“Why do you keep bringing up Komamura?” Byakuya asked, giving Renji a look that implied that if Renji kept insisting, Byakuya was about to launch into a speech about respecting captains no matter what they looked like.

“Oi, I ain’t besmirching his character,” Renji insisted. “He told me himself he’s half-oni. So there must oni around here somewhere.”

“I see,” Byakuya looked a little taken aback that Renji had had such an intimate talk with Komamura. “In that case, if there are any oni in the Maggot’s Nest, I’ve yet to see one.”

“Fair,” Renji said. It was probably just as well. It would be hard enough to maintain the peace if all you had to deal with were shinigami and… those ‘lost’ kids Ikkaku mentioned once. Ikkaku had been pretty drunk at the time, but he’d said the thing that had creeped him out the most about the Maggot’s Nest was all the kids. ‘Kids with potential’ he’d called them once--though mostly, he referred to them as ‘the lost ones.’ Renji wondered how Byakuya coped seeing all of the little ones locked up like that, considering how much Byakuya doted on Yachiru. “Yeah, I don’t suppose mixing kitsune and kids is a good idea. But, then again, I wouldn’t figure mixing kids and murderers was such a decent plan either.”

“There are no children here, Renji,” Byakuya said. “Only soldiers and civilians.”

“No?” Renji was surprised to hear that, especially since he’d heard from Hisagi that that friend of his at the Twelfth--Akon, was it?--had pretty much confirmed what Ikkaku had suggested. Of course, Hisagi also told pretty harrowing tales he’d gotten off Akon about the places Mayuri trolled for subjects for his experiments. So, maybe it was more that there weren’t any kids left in the Maggot’s Nest. “Ah, I suppose ‘The Management’ is just one of those things they tell kids to keep them behaving, huh? I mean, if they really locked up anybody with dangerous potential, you’d think someone would have come for me in the cradle.” 

“I still have a hard time picturing you as small.”

“I wasn’t ever an infant,” Renji said. “Nobody sane dumps a baby in Inuzuri.” Then, from the widening of Byakuya’s eyes, Renji suddenly realized his faux pas. “I mean, uh… the people in charge… um, whoever decides where people get slotted. Obviously, Hisana was… uh, I mean, she must have been desperate.”

“You needn’t make excuses for her,” Byakuya said with a sniff. “She would’ve agreed with you. She beat herself up about her choices constantly. In fact, I believe it was one of the many things that wore her down, ate her health away.”

Renji put his hand over Byakuya’s and gave it a squeeze to say he was sorry anyway. 

“There are mostly civilians here,” Byakuya noted. With his free hand, he plucked at the collar of his stiff cotton kosode. “The soldiers are--or perhaps, were the more organized.”

Renji nodded. It made sense to him that the soldiers would keep up military discipline to some extent. It was far weirder to imagine a military prison mostly full of civilians…. and, at least once, children. “Well, whoever I met coming my way was clearly smart and organized enough to have some kind of chemical bomb.”

“That was likely the leader of the Insane gang, Miyamoto.”

Remembering Zabimaru’s Baboon Bone Canon blast, he asked, “Oh, um…. were you… close?”

“The man was a dangerous sociopath, Renji. If you killed him, it was a service to all of humankind.”

“Oh, right.”

“Though he did have access to good tea,” Byakuya added wistfully. “I’ll miss that.”

Renji gave Byakuya’s hand another squeeze. “I am going to try to get you better provisions, remember. I’ll make sure good tea is on the list.”

Byakuya glanced at Renji. “Thank you. I am incredibly grateful for you. For the fact that you will advocate for me and that you don’t… put up with my bullshit, I suppose.”

Renji leaned in and put a brief, affectionate peck on Byakuya’s lips. “You do have a lot of it, you know.”

“I know,” Byakuya said sadly.

“Oi, you’re not supposed to agree to that! You’re supposed to deny it and call me one of those names like willful and incorrigible,” Renji said.

“I’m not feeling very good about myself at the moment,” Byakuya said. Sensing Renji’s deepening frown, Byakuya said, “But don’t worry overmuch. I will brood here in my ivory prison and count the days until we’re together again. You should go and see what you can do about my arrangements. And, of course, prepare for my aunt.”

“Oh gods, the aunt,” Renji groaned. He’d almost managed to forget about her imminent arrival.

“Yes,” Byakuya gave Renji a small smile. “For once I’ll be grateful I’m well behind bars where she will never dare to tread.”

“Maybe I can arrange to stay,” Renji said, suddenly seeing the cell as cozy and comfortable compared to having to deal with aunt Masama. “Quick, think of a crime I could commit.”

“I would suggest fraternization, but that would only add to my sentence, not yours.” Byakuya put a cool hand on Renji’s cheek, stroking the short hairs of his sideburns. “Go. I’m fine.”

“I kind of never trust anyone who says they’re fine in situations like this,” Renji said with a little grimace. “But, not trusting what you say violates my need to respect whatever you want right now.”

“Then I win,” Byakuya said with a smile and a little kiss on Renji’s nose. “Go.”

Regretfully, Renji pulled himself to his feet. He went over to the cell door and pushed the door open, wondering how he might signal to Soi Fon that he was ready to go. When he discovered her suddenly standing there at the ready, he nearly jumped out of his skin. “Ai! What is it with you ninja?”

She gave him a quizzical look. “We’re sneaky?”

“Yeah, that’s not fair on a guy,” Renji said. Then, he glanced back at Byakuya, who’d stood up to stare at the slot in the ceiling, as if wondering at the mechanism that brought light this far down. “I guess, uh…” Seeing Byakuya like that, still so childlike--looking especially vulnerable without the kenseikan and that rough haircut--made Renji’s heart twinge again. “I guess I’m ready to leave.”

Soi Fon gave Renji a little smirk. “If you really want to be in prison, I’m sure some arrangements can be made.”

“I’m sure,” Renji chuckled, stepping outside the door to put back on his sandals. “But I’d want to stay here, with him.”

She shifted her attention to Byakuya briefly. “Indeed.”

Renji lifted a hand, not quite wanting to go without saying something more, “See you, Taicho.”

“Good-bye, Renji,” Byakuya said with a little nod.

Soi Fon shut the door when it was obvious that Renji couldn’t. It seemed to snap closed in front of his face. He put a hand on the door, trying to sense a pulse of strength or a prayer or something, and was surprised not to feel any kidō. “You’re not going to lock it?”

“I see no need,” Soi Fon said, turning away to lead them down the dark, cavernous hallway. “The Captain has proven that he’s not a flight risk. All of the escapees are now accounted for, and at any rate, he is still armed.”

“You not going to take Senbonzakura?”

Soi Fon glanced up at Renji. “I may be hard-hearted, but I’m not heart _less._ A person in such a… situation, should hardly be alone.”

“Yeah, about that, I want to see him again.”

“Your paperwork is in order,” she said, as they moved along the strange, glittering cave-like halls. “I don’t see how that will be a problem.”

“Food?”

“So long as it is paid for or you otherwise provide it, he can have what he wants.”

Renji crooked a smile, “I kind of feel like I should ask for a million ken.”

“Don’t push your luck, boy,” she snapped. 

“I was kidding about the million,” Renji pointed out.

Soi Fon made a face like maybe she hadn’t quite realized that, but was going to act like she knew all along. “Of course you were. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“No, ma’am,” Renji assured her sincerely. “Also, thanks. I mean, really, thank you very much. You’re being really awesome about all this.”

She gave a stiff nod. “I made a mistake in my selection of warden. The prison break is a direct result of my poor choice, as is everything that happened in its wake. I plan to do what I can to make reparations.”

#

Byakuya let the sunlight warm his face. He had no idea how long he stood there, unmoving, thinking of nothing beyond the simple physical sensation. 

A scratching sound at the cell door had him leaping for Senbonzakura. He had the blade drawn by the time Ten poked his head in. “Hey, there you are!” he said with a little boy smile. As usual the mop of dark curls obscured his eyes, reminding Byakuya, for some reason, of Urahara and his constantly shady gaze. But, Ten was much more welcome, particularly when he stuck a fist full of manga through the half-opened door. “I brought you books.”

“Come in,” Byakuya beckoned, sliding Senbonzakura back into their sheath. There was no obi on his prison uniform, so he simply held the zanpakutō at his side, like he would a training sword. 

“How come you’re hanging out here?” Ten said, stopping to leave his shoes at the outside before stepping through the threshold. “I guess, besides the fact that it has your name on it. And it’s bigger… and nicer.”

Byakuya let out a little chuckle. “That seemed reason enough.” When he came inside, Byakuya could see that Ten had another handful of books in his hands. “Are those all for me?”

“Yeah,” Ten said. He approached Byakuya warily and held out his gifts with both hands. With a bow, he presented them. “I had a good hunting night,” he said cautiously. “Because of the… excitement.”

Byakuya hesitated before accepting the manga, though the titles looked very tempting. “I’m surprised you bothered. Surely, you assumed I’d be dead.”

Ten let out a groan and a grimace. “Yeah, okay, it’s true, it’s true, true--I maybe took a bribe to be gone, but I had faith. I knew you’d win. And, well, I kind of thought that if the guards were busy with you, I could cause some mischief and open a few doors.” He bowed again, this time all the way to the floor, where he placed the yaoi at Byakuya’s feet. Ten glanced up through his hair, “Look, you never got me the tea, but there are a dozen books here. I went all the way to the Human World for some of these and paid real money. Usually I just steal these things. So, damn it, please accept my apology.”

Byakuya decided that, for a weasel, Ten’s apology was quite good. “Very well. I accept your gifts and your apology.”

Ten hopped up happily and started to explore the room. “You get a half wall for your chamber pot!” he said. “No fair. But where’s the bed? Did they trust you with no other furniture?”

Byakuya sat down, seiza, to examine his bounty of books. He set Senbonzakura beside him, and tried not to be disappointed at the number of ‘sweet’ love stories there seemed to be. At least a cursory flip through showed that most of them were quite explicit. “I presume someone will bring me linens when it is time for sleep, though perhaps I’m expected to provide them. Hmmm, I should’ve had Renji ask.”

“I can get you linens,” Ten offered.

“I’m sure you can,” Byakuya said. “However, if you wish to assuage more of your guilt, you should bring me more of these. Only, perhaps less… romantic, if you understand.”

“Oh,” Ten said, eyes wide. “Oh.”

Byakuya set down one book to pick up another, “These are quite fine, but I enjoy bondage.”

“Oh?” Ten said again, making Byakuya glance up. The boy seemed to be blushing from head to toe. 

“These are fine,” Byakuya said again, hiding a smile.

“No, I can….” Ten started. “I just… uh. Well, I mean… That is… um, so is anything else you like in your yaoi? Historicals? Contemporary? Science fiction?”

“I’m not that well read,” Byakuya confessed. “Honestly, I will take any reading material you can find for me. It will make the time easier to bear. Should you find light novels, I would also appreciate such things. Though, anything would suffice. Even dry textbooks.”

Ten seemed to have wrestled his blush under control and he came to sit across from Byakuya. He watched as Byakuya continued to read the back covers. Finally, he stuck his face up under Byakuya’s and with a huge mischievous grin said, “I heard we can call you Kenpachi now.”

“I would not accept the title,” Byakuya said, ignoring the boy and the sick, clenching of his stomach. “That belongs to Zaraki. Besides, I quite prefer ‘Captain.’”

“But you did kill Tado.”

“I did,” Byakuya said. “Surely, if you know this much, you know the state in which that beast was discovered. He tried to force himself on me, even as I ran him through.”

Ten sat back. His lip lifted in a sneer. “Yuck.”

For some reason, that simple, straight-forward response made Byakuya’s stomach unknot. “Yes,” he agreed. “Yuck.”

Ten stood up, as if no longer able to sit still. “Well, okay, next time I’m out--which might be a while since they’ve doubled-down on the security--I’ll be sure to get you more… um, with the… the things you like.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Cool,” Ten said. He glanced at the door. “Did you know they forgot to lock you in?”

Byakuya nodded, his hand dropping to rest, reassuringly, on Senbonzakura. “I may be able to cast wards.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” Ten smiled. “I meant, if you wanted to have visitors, I could let the guys know it’s okay.”

“Visitors?”

“Well, lots of people were asking after you and stuff,” Ten said with a shrug. “The deserters seem to think you’re like some kind of honorary member since you stayed. So, I think they’d like to see you’re okay.” Ten seemed to see something in Byakuya’s face, so he added, “Or you could come see us. I mean, or not. If you don’t want to see people. I mean, I guess you’ve got this tower to hide in…”

“Hide?” Byakuya bristled. “Tell the the deserters I would be honored by their company. If fact, if they are wise, they would contrive to come during mealtimes. In the next few days, I expect to see an improvement of my fare. I should have plenty to share.”

Ten smiled broadly. “I’ll tell the boys to bring their own bowls, should I?”

“Do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the big ramble. I guess I got carried away finally having the guys together and just kept talking... and talking... 
> 
> Anyway, as usual kudos have to go to Josey (cestus) for continuing to be my beta-reader extraordinaire. And cheerleader. And good friend.


End file.
